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WorksheetsPopulations & Environmental Impact
Total questions: 47
Worksheet time: 21mins
After fires destroyed 793,000 acres of aspen and pine forest in Yellowstone National Park in the unusually dry summer of 1988, biologists were able to study the long-term effects of fire on an ecosystem. The biologists found that the soil after the fire was more fertile and soon gave rise to small plants and new pine trees. What ecological process were the biologists observing?
biodiversity
equilibrium
food web energy flow
succession
Omnivores
Eat plants
Eat animals
Eat both plants & animals
Eat dead organic material
Organisms in the intertidal zone must be able to withstand very cold water.
There are no producers in the benthic zone that rely on photosynthesis.
Organisms in the benthic zone must be able to tolerate occasional air exposure.
The warm water and abundant sunlight in the neritic zone limits the plankton population.
Researchers have found that a local squirrel population fluctuates from year to year, increasing one year and decreasing the next. Which of the following factors would cause the squirrel population to grow?
the birth rate is equal to the death rate
emigration is greater than immigration
the death rate is higher than the birth rate
the birth rate is greater than the death rate
Living things are...
Multicellular
Biotic
Abiotic
Wild
All populations fluctuate in size. Which of the following is a nonenvironmental factor that might cause a population to be reduced in size?
decreased predation
increased competition
emergence of disease resistance
increased availability of a food source
Which is a way in which the Central Arizona Project, which diverts water from the Colorado River, could have contributed to population growth in southern Arizona?
It provided water for neighborhood lawns.
It enabled better flood control during rains in the desert.
It provided an opportunity for recreational fishing and swimming.
It provided a reliable supply of water for drinking and agricultural irrigation.
A biologist compares how different ecosystems undergo succession. She divides the series of events that happen during primary succession and secondary succession into three different stages. Which feature might be used to distinguish secondary succession from primary succession?
the lack of pioneer species in the second stage
the presence of pioneer species in the final stage
the presence of trees and large plants in the final stage
the presence of soil and organic matter in the first stage
Nonliving things are...
Prokaryotic
Lame
Abiotic
Biotic
The tropical rain forests have been called the lungs of the planet. They take huge quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis and give off large quantities of oxygen. Vast tracts of tropical rain forests are being cleared for farms by people cutting down and burning the trees. Which of the following is the best hypothesis about the effect that rain forest destruction may have on atmospheric carbon dioxide levels?
Rain forest destruction will not influence overall carbon dioxide levels, because it will affect only areas around the equator.
Any carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere because of rain forest destruction will fall into the oceans and be used in building coral reefs.
Cutting down rain forest trees will decrease atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, because plants give off carbon dioxide as a result of cellular respiration.
Cutting down trees, which take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and burning the trees, which adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, will increase atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
Salinity, temperature, depth, and light are examples of
Abiotic factors in an aquatic ecosystem
Biotic factors in an aquatic ecosystem
Forest fires can burn down all of the trees and plants living in an area. However, new growth can spring from the decaying organic matter left behind. What is the gradual, sequential regrowth of a community of species after a forest fire?
adaptation
pioneer succession
primary succession
secondary succession
Plants are an example of
Heterotrophs
Prokaryotes
Biotic factors
Microorganisms
How does the predator-prey relationship affect a population?
The predators and prey are in competition with each other.
Usually either the predator or the prey will become extinct.
The predator species usually has exponential growth.
The relationship controls the population size of both species.
The pH of the water in several lakes in Norway and Sweden had decreased to below 5.0 due to an increase in acid rain. Which of the following is most likely to happen in these lakes?
the decline of several fish populations
an increase in numbers of fish
an increase in the amount of primary producers
increased predator-prey relationships
Which types of organisms are considered extremophiles, and may be found living in an environment with extreme heat, high salinity, and/or an extremely low or high pH?
bacteria
fungi
protist
archaea
Plants are NOT...
producers
autotrophs
consumers
eukaryotes
Which of the following is a limiting factor in a population of organisms?
reproductive replacement
life spans of the members
fluctuations in atmospheric temperature
availability of food
Why are there so few aquatic plants and phytoplankton that live at the bottom zones in the ocean?
The ocean floor contains many decomposers.
Most sunlight is absorbed before reaching these levels.
Water is a limiting factor.
The temperature in these zones is extremely low.
The number of pythons found throughout Everglades National Park has increased in recent years. These huge snakes are not native to Florida and are believed to have been released into the wild by pet owners. Wildlife biologists have initiated attempts to capture and remove these pythons. Which statement best explains the biologists' reasons for removing these pythons from the Everglades?
The pythons could upset the territorial boundaries of native organisms.
The pythons could adapt to overcome diseases common to native snakes.
The pythons could prey on native organisms and cause native population to decline.
The pythons could begin to interbreed with native snakes and produce a more successful species.
Which of the following are abiotic factors that shape ecosystems?
worms, plants and temperature
wind, precipitation, and soil type
niches, trees, and bacteria
sunlight, mushrooms, and wind
Ciarra would like to set up a saltwater aquarium. In her research she learns that the aquarium must maintain a delicate balance in order to sustain living organisms. Which of the following is an abiotic factor that Ciarra will have to monitor and correct as needed to keep the concentration of salinity in balance?
Nutrient abundance
pH level
Temperature
Water level
Emigration
Movement of individuals into a population
Movement of individuals out of a population
Ling feeds her guppies one-half teaspoon of fish food every day. The average guppy population in her aquarium over a four-month period is 38 guppies. She increased the food to one teaspoon a day. After a four-month period, the average population is 53 guppies. Which of the following is supported by these data?
Food was a limiting factor
The size of the aquarium was a limiting factor
As long as Ling keeps adding more food, the guppy population will continue to grow
Guppies reproduce more quickly with additional food
The northern elephant seal was almost hunted to extinction in the 1800s. By the late 1890s, approximately one hundred seals were left, reducing the gene pool of the population. What will be the consequence of this reduction?
Competition within the population will increase.
Inbreeding will be less frequent within the remaining population.
The elephant seals will be more vulnerable to environmental change.
The surviving elephant seals will be better able to adapt.
A student was studying how a change in abiotic factors can influence living organisms. She set up the experiment as follow:
1) Fill two glass fish tanks, labeled Tank A and Tank B, with 5 liters of water each.
2) Add a small fish and several plants to each tank.
3) Seal both tanks so that no air can leave or enter.
4) Place Tank A in a bright room and Tank B in a dark room.
The student noticed after 45 hours, the fish in Tank B died while the fish in Tank A remained healthy. Based on the results of the experiment described above, what is the best explanation for why the fish in Tank A lived and the fish in Tank B died?
Fish died in Tank B due to a lack of carbon dioxide.
Fish died in Tank B because the tank was sealed.
Fish died in Tank B due to lack of oxygen.
Fish died in Tank B because the temperature was too low.
The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will increase.
The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will decrease.
The amount of carbon dioxide used by producers will increase.
The amount of carbon dioxide needed by consumers will decrease.
Herbivores
Eat plants
Eat animals
Eat both plants & animals
Eat dead organic material
A region of the country is rapidly growing in population, causing the demand for electricity to go up each year. As a result, a new source of electricity is needed. This particular region of the country has plenty of agriculture, rivers, and access to coal deposits underground. Which of the following would be the cheapest way for this region of the country to make electricity, have minimal impact on the environment, yet not add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere?
Build dams along the rivers to generate electricity
Build a nuclear power plant in the middle of the region
Use the coal deposits to generate electricity in a few coal fired facilities
Use the agriculture biomass to generate a renewable fuel that can be burned to generate electricity
In Australia, farm pastures became so densely covered with prickly-pear cactus that very little grass for livestock could grow. To solve this problem, a South American cactus moth was introduced to feed on the cactus. What is often the result of this type of environmental solution?
poor land-use management
disruption of existing ecosystems
overhunting of endangered species
exploitation of domestic animals
Fossils fuels are an important part of modern society. Which statement best explains how air pollution from fossil fuels affects a marine environment?
Air pollution increases oxygen levels in the atmosphere, causing no change in a marine environment
Burning fossils fuels accumulates pollutants in the atmosphere, causing smog in a marine environment
Air pollution increases oxygen levels in the atmosphere, causing a change in temperature of a marine ecosystem
Burning fossil fuels accumulates pollutants in the atmosphere, causing acid rain impacting the pH of a marine ecosystem
Immigration
Movement of individuals into a population
Movement of individual out of a population
A community is concerned about the water quality of a nearby lake. Increased sedimentation in the lake is endangering the native habitat. The increased sedimentation is most likely caused by which of the following?
trees planted along the shore of the lake
construction of homes along the lake
the amount of sunlight on the lake
the amount of fish in the lake
After a volcano erupts and destroys an ecosystem, a few organisms are able to begin growing from the decaying organic matter left behind. What do we call those organisms that are able to grow in little or no soil that first appear?
adaptors
pioneer species
non-vascular plants
decomposers
Competition between two species occurs when:
Mold grows on a tree that has fallen in the forest
Chipmunks and squirrels eat sunflower seeds in a garden
A crow feeds on the remains of a rabbit killed on the road
A lion stalks, kills and eats an antelope
Which statement represents a characteristic of an ecosystem that is not likely to sustain itself?
The Sun provides the needed energy.
Energy is transferred from plants to animals.
There are more consumers than producers.
There are interactions between biotic and abiotic factors.
Carrying capacity is:
the maximum number of individuals that an ecosystem can sustain.
the ability of an environment to accommodate a growing population.
the greatest number of individuals that an area can sustain over the long term.
the maximum number of species that can co-exist in an area.
Environmentalists are hoping to protect endangered organisms by calling for a reduction in the use of pesticides, because loss of these organisms would:
increase the mutation rate in plants
cause pesticides to become more toxic to insects
reduce biodiversity in various ecosystems
decrease the space and resources available to other organisms
Leaves fall from deciduous trees in autumn. The carbon in these leaves is returned to the atmosphere through which of the following processes?
condensation
decomposition
photosynthesis
transpiration
Carnivores
Eat plants
Eat animals
Eat both plants & animals
Eat dead organic material
The water cycle would not occur if which of the following were missing?
bacteria
autotrophs
carbon dioxide
solar energy
Why is a mushroom considered a heterotroph?
It creates different types of food.
It makes food through photosynthesis.
It makes food through chemosynthesis.
It obtains nutrients from its environment.
One way humans can promote the survival of organisms in an ecosystem is to:
decrease diversity in plant habitats
introduce new consumers to control autotrophs
release extra CO2 into the atmosphere to help autotrophs
learn about the interactions of populations
Hawk
Rabbit
Grasshopper
Mouse
Which of these organisms would most likely be found at the top of an energy pyramid?
clams - a primary consumer
sardines - a primary consumer
sharks - a secondary consumer
kelp - a primary producer
Which of these organisms would accumulate the most amount of toxins due to biomagnification?
clams - a primary consumer
sardines - a primary consumer
sharks - a secondary consumer
kelp - a primary producer
Migration of individuals into or out of a population causes which of the following mechanisms of evolution?
Founder effect
Gene flow
Genetic drift
Natural selection
Artificial selection
